I say again, the Bible draws a direct link between false preachers and their doctrines with sexual immorality. More still, televangelists are engaging in conduct like this right out in the open because they know that they can get away with it! Back in the day, Aimee Semple McPherson, founder of the Church of the Foursquare Gospel denomination, claimed that she was kidnapped and held captive in order to explain her whereabouts during the time that she had run off with her boyfriend. These says, such tactics are wholly unneeded as these people can do whatever they wish right out in the open and no one cares … the news media doesn’t even bother with hunting down and exposing televangelists like they used to because they know that the Christians that follow them will continue to do so no matter what they do, and will instead attack the media for “touching God’s anointed and doing His prophets harm” for reporting the truth.

The 64-year-old came to national prominence in 2005 when he spearheaded a campaign against the BBC’s broadcast of the musical Jerry Springer: The Opera. But his Pentecostal church in Brentwood, Essex – one of two ministries he runs with a collective turnover of millions – has been left in disarray after it emerged the married father of three did not practise what he preached.

His flock were left in shock on Saturday after he admitted he had “sinned by committing adultery” and was quitting after more than three decades of service. His wife of 36 years, Ruth, is standing by him and is understood to have accompanied him abroad to his other ministry, in the American state of Arizona.

This is despite the revelations about the eight-year affair (meaning while he hypocritically protested the Springer special he was committing adultery) and rumours she caught her husband with his lover at the £600,000 (about $1.2 million dollars) family home in Brentwood.

Scandal: Sheila Graziano, the 49-year-old mother of two who is the choirmistress (choir director) at Bishop Reid’s church, is believed to be ‘the other woman’

The other woman is believed to be 49-year-old married mother-of-two Sheila Graziano, who worked alongside Bishop Reid as music director at the Peniel Church in Brentwood.

There was no answer yesterday at her £300,000 ($500,000) 1930s semi-detached house a mile from the church.

In a statement to his congregation, Bishop Reid said: “I confess that I have sinned by committing adultery. I recognise that I have failed in my duties and acted in a way that harmed the church. “I apologise to my wife and family and all of you whose trust I have betrayed and ask for your forgiveness and prayers.”

His conduct has caused widespread shock among churchgoers. “I am deeply, deeply stunned,” said one. “Bishop Reid was a guiding light for everyone here.” Another said: “I understand his wife has forgiven him – and we should all follow her lead – but I am very disappointed at his conduct.”

Michael Reid, a former Metropolitan police officer turned insurance salesman, was made a bishop by the International Communion of Charismatic Churches in Nigeria in 1995. He has been head of the Peniel Church for 32 years and had an 800-strong congregation at Michael Reid Ministries.

The organisation also runs a school with around 170 pupils aged two to 19 and a college in Brentwood, as well as a TV ministry. It has been mired in controversy in recent years, amid claims of miracle cures and an allegation – strongly denied – that two young children were beaten by Peniel members. Six members won libel damages in 2003 after a Brentwood councillor described it as a cult and a danger.

A church spokesman said yesterday: “Bishop Reid and his wife are very much together, she has stood by him. “He really does feel great sorrow and great regret and he tried to reassure us the church would go on, the church family would go on.” The Reverend Peter Linnecar, who has taken over from Bishop Reid, said: “He has recognised his sin and taken full responsibility for his actions and resigned.

“We believe the gospel of Jesus Christ and that our God is a God of love, forgiveness and restoration from all sin.”

BIBLE MEDITATION: “. . . it is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.” 1 Corinthians 7:1-2

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: Premarital sex always endangers future marital happiness. It follows as night follows day. Surveys have shown that those who were sexually pure when they went to the marriage altar have the greatest opportunity to have a happy marriage. You can understand why. Suppose a man says to a woman “I love you so much; I just can’t wait.” He talks her into giving in to his desires. Now think about a man who loves and respects a woman by keeping her pure. Do you see the trust that that builds? God has a wonderful plan for you. Sex is so bad outside marriage because it’s so good inside marriage.

*Another one from Pastor Bill Keller. The fact that the truth is not being told about this woman, but instead they are peddling a story line to turn her into a sympathetic figure and Spitzer into her “male exploiter of a troubled young girl” is clear evidence that the media will not rest until it makes sexual immorality even more normalized and accepted in this country than it already is. The only thing more galling than how often the media lies is that they almost always get away with it because their lies are more preferable to the public than the truth. Portraying this woman as a victim actually justifies making her into a weeklong news story, putting her semi – topless on the cover of the world’s biggest pornographer and friend of conservatives and evangelicals Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post, and every other media outlet running image after image of her wearing as little as possible. Oh yes, let us not forget the radio stations that have been playing this aspiring singer’s music from her Myspace page. And while child molestation and other forms of child abuse are common, this case shows that all a person that needs or desires a public profile or image has to do is make an ambiguous charge that they were abused in some way, knowing full well that people will presume that it was domestic violence at the hands of your husband or boyfriend (regarding an adult woman) or sexual/physical abuse at the hands of your father or stepfather (regarding a juvenile). I still remember Halle Berry crying on Oprah Winfrey, after causing everyone to believe that David Justice had punched and hit her. But she could not SAY that Justice had hit her, because Justice would have then filed a multimillion dollar defamation and libel lawsuit against her. So her making an open – ended ambiguous allegation of abuse against him was just a PR tactic to force Justice to accept her financial demands in their divorce proceedings. After Justice returned fire by revealing how Halle Berry was doing what pretty much everyone in Hollywood does to get parts – making many of these actresses little different from Spitzer’s “Kristen”! – that was when Berry stopped going to Oprah, Ebony, Entertainment Tonight, etc. crying abuse and accepted Justice’s financial terms! Of course, the same media outlets that reported “Halle Berry cries on Oprah Winfrey when discussing how David Justice abused her!” never reported that the alleged abuse was a lie, just as they are now just fine with having people believe that “Kristen” became a prostitute because her father or stepfather molested her. With that said, merely because the media is willfully peddling lies IN THIS CASE does not mean that a high percentage of prostitutes, strippers, X – rated movie “actresses”, etc. were NOT molested or abused as children … in a shocking percentage of cases they were. That is all the more reason why Christians should leave the sex industry alone, and yes that includes most of the filth on TV and in the movies. Even the Chri$tian entertainment indu$try is more and more often relying on selling sex (or emulating the secular artists that sell sex) in their “work.” But the bottom line is that so long as the media are able to make it fit their agenda, they are willing to exploit lies. This girl wasn’t abused? So what! Let’s report it anyway because it allows us to portray her as a victim and increase public fascination with her, her body image, and the fantasies that it represents!

A nation in spiritual freefall that glorifies and rewards whoredom! In the
wake of the sex scandal that broke last week causing New York Governor
Elliot Spitzer to resign, was the public response to the high priced
prostitute he had most recently been with. After the news media tracked her
down and exposed her identity to the world, instead of being ashamed, she
eagerly embraced and began to cash in on her new found celebrity. Saddest
of all, is a nation that has elevated her to this celebrity status and will
be responsible for her making millions of dollars for her choice to break
the law and sell her body.

She was originally known as “Kristen,” the 22-year-old $4,000 an hour
prostitute at the center of the sex scandal involving former New York
Governor Elliot Spitzer. Her real name is Ashley Youmans, though she
recently took the name Ashley Alexandra Dupre as she tried to launch a
career in music. The initial reports about Ashley seemed to tell the sad
and familiar story of a young girl from a broken home who was abused, ran
away at 17, ended up in New York to pursue a career in music, had no money,
and turned to selling her body to pay the bills. It almost makes you feel
sorry for her and at least understand how she ended up in the world of high
dollar prostitution.

However, the real story of Ashley is much different.She is from a broken
home, but grew up with her mother and step father in an upscale New Jersey
community. There have been no reports of abuse of any kind, though she did
leave home at 17 after wrecking her Porsche and being told she wouldn’t get
another one. She left for North Carolina to live with her biological father, but never adjusted to the slower pace of life in North Carolina. So it was soon after her 18th birthday that Ashley left for New York City to pursue a career in music.(In other words, HER WHOLE STORY ABOUT BEING ABUSED AND RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME AT 17 IS A LIE!)

To pay the bills, she worked as a cocktail waitress in several upscale Manhattan nightclubs as a bottle girl. (MEANING THAT THIS GIRL HAD PLENTY OF MONEY AND HAD NO NEED OR REASON TO TURN TO PROSTITUTION!) These are the girls who work in theVIP areas of the club that cater to upscale, wealthy clientele who buy full
bottles of liquor and champagne and party all night. The clubs encourage their girls to be friendly to these upscale customers, even gong out on dates with them, to keep them coming back. Ashley quickly fell into the New York club scene, becoming a familiar figure despite the fact this party lifestyle was very expensive to maintain. Little did anyone know that she had entered the world of high dollar prostitution to pay for her lifestyle. (IN OTHER WORDS, TO PAY FOR NEW PORSCHES, NOT FOOD, CLOTHING, OR RENT!)

The story of Ashley is actually very scary, since she represents a new breed of young girls who have no fear, little morals, and are not guided by faith, but by their hedonistic appetite for sex, money, and all the finer things this world can offer. They are young, intelligent, have been blesed with great looks, and understand there are men with lots of money who will pay them thousands of dollars to have sex with them. These brazen and beautiful young girls have an appetite for uninhibited sex, and a lifestyle that requires lots of cash, selling themselves to rich men is the perfect answer.

I am very aware Ashley is not the world’s first prostitute and that it has been going on since the beginning of human history. A big reason I am dealing with this today is because as sad as this is, Ashley has now become a role model to millions of young girls. For girls who have grown up since birth being exposed to sex daily in every way imaginable, many becoming sexually active as early as 13 and 14, a huge percentage growing up in broken or blended homes, most having never even been to church or having any real exposure to faith, seeing daily how beauty is a commodity and an asset that can be bartered on the open market like any other commodity, all while living in a world that preaches (even in too many churches) that success is measured by your bank account and the toys you have, Ashley “Alexandra Dupre” Youmans has become the girl millions of girls want to be just like!

I can only challenge the young women reading this today that sin costs, and it is always a price higher than you ever thought or expected to pay. As glamorous as you may think Ashley’s life is, I can assure you it is anything but that. Doing the late night TV program for over 5 years, and due to the incredible number of adult businesses in Florida, I have dealt with hundreds of women over the years who were part of Ashley’s world. There is NOTHING glamorous about selling your body for money. NOTHING. It is a dark world
where EVERYONE loses, no matter how the media tries to sugar coat it.

It is a world of drug and alcohol addiction, of sexually transmitted disease, and physical danger. It is a world of broken and destroyed lives. Marriages are destroyed. Relationships with children are destroyed. Careers are destroyed. A persons ability to have a normal and Christ-centered sexual relationship is severely damaged. What money there is is usually lost or squandered. Many people commit illegal acts and go to jail. It robs a person of their self esteem. Whatever benefits anyone may appear to accrue, are all eventually wiped out at some point and a huge price is paid. God calls it sin. In the end, nobody wins and everyone loses, even Ashley.

I love you and care about you so much. I knew how sick this nation was, but even I was shocked that we are so spiritually bankrupt that we have taken a common prostitute and turned her into a national hero. Instead of condemning her sinful activities, we have glorified them and she will be making millions of dollars in the coming months. What a horrible message to send to young women, many of whom are simply looking for an excuse to destroy their lives in this way. At a time when they need to hear a message of hope through following God’s Word and that Jesus is their only answer, they hear the message loud and clear that their hope is in money and the material things of this world and their answer is to sell their bodies to
rich men to get it.

I pray today for young women not to be influenced by horrible choices Ashley has made in her life. I assure you that 20 years from now, she will be the first to tell you that it wasn’t worth it. Whatever fame she may acquire, whatever financial rewards she may experience, she has broken the law and despite being granted immunity to testify against the owners of the prostitution business, will have a criminal record. She has already greatly damaged her life at such a young age.

I pray today for Ashley and ask you to as well. I know deep down there is no real happiness, no real peace, no real joy. You can’t live your life in rebellion to God and attain those things, since they can’t be bought with a platinum card. You can only know true happiness, peace, and joy by being in a right relationship with Christ. I pray that through all of this, when the offers from scum like Larry Flynt and others stop pouring in, when her 15 minutes in the spotlight is over, that God will send the right person into
her life to talk to her about Christ, her soul, and the rest of her life.

I think back a few years ago to Donna Rice, the women who got caught up with Gary Hart and ended his political career. She has lived a quiet life mostly out of the spotlight and has done tremendous work in the area of keeping children safe from Internet predators. The key to her turning her life around was finding a real relationship with Christ. I pray that Ashley will turn to the Lord in her life as well, since He is the only true hope she has.

***ARE YOU 100% CERTAIN WHERE YOU WILL SPEND ETERNITY? The fact is you will
die one day. At that moment, you will either spend eternity with the Lord or
be cast into everlasting darkness forever separated from God your creator.
To know for certain you will be forever with Jesus, go to: http://www.liveprayer.com/bdy_salvatn.cfm

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Also, you can now listen to the Daily Devotional by phone by calling 1-727-342-5673

Here is yet another article that uses evolutionary biology as an excuse for humans to accept and justify sin. Its role is to exploit the adultery of Eliot Spitzer – and that of his replacement David Paterson and his wife – by making the claim that we should reject what the Bible says about obedience to Jesus Christ because living in sin is biologically unnatural. Amazingly, the very same people that contend for the acceptance of things that the Bible calls sin i.e. adultery and fornication themselves are just as “fundamentalist” and moralistic when it comes to those that break man made laws. In other words, with this crowd, commit adultery or even murder (yes there are those that defend suicide bombers and other political murders so long as those that commit them are members of “an oppressed class”) and you will find any number of defenders. But transgress their human – and arbitrary – morality concerning racism, sexism, homophobia, environmentalism, patriotism, etc. and you will find yourself the defendant in some secular Salem witch trial.

And yes, human morality is arbitrary, and that is whether we are talking about right wing humans or left wing humans. For instance, the right wing humans that denounced the adultery of one Bill Clinton speaks nothing concerning the adultery of Newt Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani, and John McCain. Meanwhile, of the leftists that are willing to give Barack Obama a chance on his black separatist church, how many of them trashed George W. Bush for visiting Bob Jones University because of their ban on interracial dating? Never mind that so many of our public and fully accredited (which Bob Jones is neither) universities have womens studies departments that openly advocate anti – male views and other departments that advocate anti – Christian views that are far more hateful than anything you will ever hear about black people at Bob Jones University.

Well, the link above contains lies, so I am going to tell you the truth. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth out of nothing, then He created plants and animals, then He created man, distinct from the animals, in His own image. Originally creation, including man, was perfect and free from sin, but when man chose to sin, all of creation, including man, became corrupted by sin and as such worthy of destruction in the lake of fire by a righteous God. So then God created out of mankind a unique elect nation Israel to use for the redemption of mankind, but they too sinned. But God stated that He would not fight with man forever because man was corrupted with sin from birth, but that one day He would give mankind the capacity to resist and reject sin and obey Him.

In what way was this accomplished? For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. So do not believe what the evolutionary biologists and the political radicals say. You are not a mere animal, the accidental product of evolutionary mutations and adaptations captive to your urges and environment. You do not have to become a murderer, thief, fornicator (and this includes incest and homosexuality), adulterer, rapist, or racist. You do not have to support governmental and big business policies or a legal system that favors the rich and harms the poor just because of what some talk radio host says. You do not have to unquestionably support unjust wars out of fear of people who won’t pick up a Bible unless it it comes wrapped in some flag of false cultural political religion will call you a traitor.

You can accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior! You can read the Bible, and the Holy Spirit will help you understand it so that you will be able to discern the commandments of God and use them to live out His plan for your life on a daily basis! God will empower you with faith so that you will continue to obey Him especially when times get hard, when you face pain, sickness, death, grief, financial troubles, the loss of a loved one, have to deal with a spouse or child that is unsaved, etc. and you do not have the answer.

So you are not some animal, some glorified gorilla or ape that must do as the gorillas and apes do. You are created in the image of God and can do all things through His Son Jesus Christ! So no matter what sin you are being tempted with right now or have in your past, whether it be gossiping, lying, idleness, stealing, addictions, pridefulness, murder, or sexual sin, God sent His only Son so that you can be forgiven, and so that you can obey what Jesus Christ told the women caught in the act of adultery. Everyone knows about the part where God told the people accusing the adulteress “Let He who is without sin cast the first stone.” Why? Because they want to pretend that the God of Heaven came to earth to endorse sin! That is why NONE of those people, including alleged evangelical Christians, will say what Jesus Christ then told the woman, which is “Go and sin no more!” That is why few people speak of the crippled man that Jesus Christ healed, because that man Jesus Christ told “STOP SINNING BEFORE SOMETHING EVEN WORSE HAPPENS TO YOU!”

They withhold the full contents of the Bible from you because they want to make you believe that being restrained from sin is impossible. They want to tell you that it is unnatural, repressive, even dangerous. Now I do not support these “abstinence education programs” because anything that purports to teach morality apart from Jesus Christ is nothing but a form of godliness that denies the power thereof. But these people actually blame those that want to prevent children from becoming fornicators and homosexuals for the spread of teen pregnancy, AIDS, and the 25% of American teenage girls (including 50% of black teenage girls!) now being infected with some form of venereal disease! They want you to believe that it is not the sin that is dangerous, but the people that REJECT and OPPOSE sin that are dangerous, and it has gotten so bad that the main place that you hear those lies today is not our university halls or TV talk shows, but from the very pulpits of our modern humanist evangelical and charismatic churches! But this was going on from the beginning, as Jude 4 says that even in his day “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” So there really is nothing new under the sun after all.

But Satan the deceiver was a liar then and he is a liar now. Men that believe Satan’s lies because of their desire to be filthy and rebellious were sinners then and are sinners now. If you die in a condition of filthy rebellion, you will spend eternity in torment then as in now. It would be a curious sight seeing you standing in judgment before a righteous God trying to explain to him how all of the advances in the field of psychology, psychiatry, physics, sociology, anthropology, chemistry, economics, and political theory nullified the truth of the Bible and made your sin OK. Well, sinner, you go ahead and try that. Let us see how far that takes you, and let me know how it works out for you!

Let us know if the righteous God, the creator of the universe that is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, without beginning or end, without limited by time or space, and cannot be judged, punished, or called to account by any intelligence higher (for their is none higher) or lower will come down off His throne, admit your superior morality and intellect and the error of His ways, and bow down and start worshiping YOU! Who do you think you are, you worm, you lowdown filthy sinner, that you think that the God of heaven is going to prostrate Himself before YOU? I know that emergent heretic Brian McLaren refers to the cross as “cosmic child abuse” and says that for that reason the cross should no longer be the focus of Christianity! That instead of talking about the rugged bloody cross that bore our Savior the God of Heaven, that we should focus on ethics and good works! Well Brian McLaren and all of you that follow after Him, the message of the cross should be that if the evil of sin was so great in God’s eyes and its rotten stench was so filthy in God’s nostrils that He sacrificed His own SINLESS Son on a cross to defeat it, WHAT DO YOU THINK HE WILL DO TO YOU BECAUSE OF YOUR SIN, SINNER? If God sent His own Son to die the humiliating excruciating death of a criminal, the cursed death of all who hang on a tree according to Hebrew law, without His Son having lived on the face of this earth just as you do being tempted at all points just as you were without sinning, then what makes you think that He is going to accept the “I am a mere animal, the product of evolution, the result of my environment, a hostage to my circumstance, a captive to my passions, and if you didn’t want me to sin then you shouldn’t have made me this way or even made me at all!” excuse from you?

Well I have news for you, and this same news is for the judge not church, the salvation by rituals and works church, and the humanistic atheistic deistic agnostic church. Yes, it is part of the good news, but where the gospel is good news for those like me that accept it, it is bad news for those that reject both the letter and the meaning of it! And that news is that God is not going to accept any excuses! For on the last day, every man, woman, and child that has ever lived on this earth will be resurrected and judged. The first thing that is going to happen is that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. The next thing that will happen is that those who are in a covenant relationship with God will live forever! Those who are not, meanwhile, will burn for eternity in an unquenchable flame. It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of an angry living God, but that terrible thing will happen, and the righteousness of God is so vast and complete that even suffering for eternity in flame will not pay the debt of your sin. Yet that is precisely what will happen to you rebellious sinners, and for you there will be no forgiveness, no payment, no escape because those things are only available in the very Jesus Christ that the world rejected to corrupt itself with lies and idols.

But because it happens to the world, it does not have to happen to you! You can turn from these lies and accept Jesus Christ as your savior! Remember: you will bow and confess that Jesus Christ is your Lord one day. If you do it now in this life, then you will be saved from God’s wrath. But if you do it on the last day, then God’s wrath you will experience!
It is all about the glory of God. Your existence will glorify God one way or another. The only question is whether your final state will be that of benefiting from God’s glory by eternal life, or suffering from that same glory in eternal condemnation!

I know from the emails I received when I dealt with this issue in the past,there are many people dreading this message today. There are no accidents orcoincidences with God. If you work, you MUST read these words today. If youare currently involved in an office romance, this is God speaking directlyto YOU! If you are not involved in an office romance, it is still a word youneed to read since most office romances are not planned, they evolve. Thereare so many facets of this issue that I could probably write on this onetopic for a solid week. However, today I want to try and highlight this trapof satan and help you get out of the fantasies you may currently beharboring and help bring you back to reality before you destroy your lifeand those around you.

Office romances is an issue that touches EVERYONE who is out working. Welove to hammer Hollywood stars like Brad Pitt for leaving his wife andhooking up with Angelina Jolie on the set of a movie, but that is nodifferent than Tim in shipping who is married, hooking up with Julie inaccounting! When you talk about office romances, most people immediatelythink of the older married male boss who is having an affair with his muchyounger secretary. While that may be the classic office romance, officeromances encompass all romantic relationships that are born at work betweenmen and women (now of course men and men and women and women) who aremarried or single. They happen in offices of all kinds, whether it be asales firm, a group of dentists, the headquarters for a trucking company,your local McDonald’s, or yes, even the office at your church!

How these office romances begin is actually very easy to understand. You areworking 40, 50, sometimes more hours a week with this person. You share acommon bond in that you are both working for the same organization. It issafe to say that you communicate on a mutual level with this person morethan anyone else in your life, including your spouse, family, and friends.When you factor in the amount of time you spend with this person, the commonbond you share in working with the same organization, and extensive qualitycommunication, you have ALL the ingredients for a professional relationshipturning personal and even intimate no matter who you are or how honorableyour intentions may be.

So you can see immediately, even someone who has no plans, goals, or desiresfor anything romantic to happen at work, all of the key elements exist for aromantic relationship to begin. When you factor in the reality there aremany people who ARE looking for relationships at work, whether it is anextra-marital affair, a causal relationship for sex, or even someone who islooking for a spouse, it is no wonder why office romances have always beenand always will be a huge issue that anyone who works needs to be aware ofand guard against at all times.

One of the issues I have seen over nearly 2 decades of ministry is the hugeinflux of women in the workforce since the mid ’60s. Most offices that usedto be dominated by men, are now filled with as many women as men, and havingwomen equally represented in the workforce has only increased theopportunity and availability for these office romances to flourish. I am notadvocating women don’t work, since in this day we live where the roles ofmen and women have become so confused, with the breakdown of such a highpercentage of marriages and families, most women have no choice but to work.It is simply a fact that with the incredible surge of women in the workplaceover the past 40 years, this whole issue of office romances has become evenmore pronounced.

By far the biggest problem in dealing with this issue and the mostdestructive to so many lives is the married man or woman getting involvedwith someone at work. We have already seen how easy it can happen. A marriedperson may spend 1 hour or less a day with their spouse, yet 6-10 hours aday with the person they work with. They may actually have 30 minutes orless of meaningful conversation with their spouse a day, yet engage inquality conversation for hours a day with the person at work. The goals ofmany husbands and wives are not clear, often even at odds with each other,yet there is the common goal of the organization with the person they workwith.

*READ THE PREVIOUS PARAGRAPH AGAIN! READ IT SLOWLY. CAN YOU SEE HOW EASY ITIS FOR SOMEONE WHO IS MARRIED TO FALL INTO THIS TRAP WITH SOMEONE THEY WORKWITH?

I haven’t even addressed things like the person they work with is youngerand more attractive. At home all they do is fight over the things mosthusbands and wives fight about but they find a sympathetic ear from theperson they work with. You and your spouse don’t have as much sex as youused to and you begin to fantasize about being with the person you workwith. Your spouse doesn’t really understand you but the person you work withalways understands you perfectly. All of these issues come into play informing this fantasy in your mind involving the person you work with. *Thetrap is it is a fantasy and NOT reality!

Of course, the nightmare begins when you start to turn your fantasy with theperson you work with into reality. It begins with lunches, dinners, all dueto business of course. Often it includes out of town business trips. Yourmind begins to work overtime in trying to create ways to spend time withthis person you work with, in trying to please that person, in trying toimpress that person. Pretty soon all of your heart and emotions are focusedon the person at work and you neglect your spouse even more than before,cutting them off from the meaningful love and nurturing every relationshipmust always have. Ending up in bed with the person you work with is simplythe physical act that occurs long after your heart and mind has been withthat other person for a long time.

WHAT I HAVE JUST DESCRIBED FOR YOU IS A TRAP FOR MEN AND WOMEN EQUALLY!!!SATAN DOESN’T DISCRIMINATE WHEN IT COMES TO DESTROYING LIVES THROUGH OFFICEROMANCES!!!

Like in all adulterous affairs, NOBODY wins and everyone gets destroyed. SinNEVER brings blessings, only destruction. These office romances that takeoff end up destroying marriages, families, careers, and many lives. They area trap from satan himself. We have to work, we have to work with otherpeople, so everyone has to be aware of how easy falling into one of theseoffice romances really is. They become a natural byproduct from workingevery day with other people and developing a bond thru all the hours, allthe communication, and all the battles people in every organization have tofight together. YOU CAN NEVER LET YOUR GUARD DOWN, NEVER!

I love you and care about you so much. Obviously the most destructive officeromances involve people who are already married. That doesn’t automaticallymake office romances between singles the best idea. As a matter of fact,most companies have policies AGAINST employees dating. It is simply not ahealthy situation, but due to the factors I have shared with you, issomething that will always occur. Many people meet their spouse thru theiremployment. The key is to treat it like any other relationship. Keep itcentered on Christ and build a spiritual foundation to your relationship.What you do at work, having sex together, is NOT a solid foundation for anyrelationship, only your faith in Christ is!

Let me talk to anyone today who is married and involved in an officeromance. STOP IT NOW BEFORE YOU DO ANY MORE DAMAGE TO YOUR LIFE AND THOSEAROUND YOU! Satan has LIED to you! This is NOT going to work out, this isnot perfect like you have fantasized. How can sin ever be perfect? You needto RUN like Joseph from Potiphar’s wife! Even if it means your job. Is yourjob worth your marriage? You have fallen for satan’s trap and God is comingto you today to help you get out now before you do any more destruction. CUTIT OFF….REPENT….and GO BACK TO YOUR SPOUSE WHO YOU MADE VOWS TO BEFOREGOD FOR A LIFE TOGETHER!

I’ll be praying for you today. Know that you ALWAYS need to be on guard.Satan is roaming around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.That someone is you! Men, when the new 20-something girl in the short skirtfrom accounts receivable starts telling you how good you look, how luckyyour wife is, how she hopes some day she can find someone like you, DON’TBELIEVE HER!!! Put your ego in the closet with your coat, not your brain!Women, when the married executive in the nice suits who always smells goodstarts to tell you how hot you are, how lucky your boyfriend is, makingexcuses to have business lunches with you, starts to buy you littlepresents, how he can help your career, DON’T BELIEVE HIM!!! After he sleepswith you he’ll act like he never even met you!

Please let this message today be a wake-up call. It is so easy to get luredinto these office romances. You are there to work, to earn a living, toprovide for your family, not to turn into a prepubescent teen discoveringtheir hormones for the first time! If you put as much time, energy, andemotion into your spouse as you do the person you work with, you will beshocked how great your marriage will be and how you won’t even considergetting involved with someone you work with. Start romancing your wife orhusband. Spend TIME with them. COMMUNICATE with them. You don’t need tofantasize about your spouse, they are the one God gave you to enjoy yourlife with. Enjoy your marriage!

May the Lord give you His wisdom as He guards you from the enemy who wantsto destroy you. Nothing can turn your life upside down and destroy youquicker than an office romance!

***ARE YOU 100% CERTAIN WHERE YOU WILL SPEND ETERNITY? The fact is you willdie one day. At that moment, you will either spend eternity with the Lord or be cast into everlasting darkness forever separated from God your creator. To know for certain you will be forever with Jesus, go to:http://www.liveprayer.com/bdy_salvatn.cfm

***The Liveprayer Daily Devotional is now available via AUDIO each day. Simply go to http://www.liveprayer.com/Audio.cfm Also, you can now listen to the Daily Devotional by phone by calling 1-727-342-5673

Perhaps there is no subject more personal, more emotional, and more
difficult to deal with than that of a spouse who cheats. First of all, there
is absolutely NO justification for cheating on your spouse. Point blank. It
is a sin in God’s eyes. Man has tried in his own feeble way to categorize
sin. Bad sins, and really bad sins. Sin is sin in the eyes of God, no matter
what it involves, since sin is an act of rebellion towards God.

There is no arguing however, because of the intimate and sensitive nature of
adultery, it is a highly visible sin because of the raw emotions involved.
Having laid that foundation, let me look for a minute at this topic from
both sides. That of the person who has committed adultery, and that of the
spouse who has been cheated on.

First of all, for anyone who has committed adultery, you have to understand
some basic issues. First is that what you have done is a sin in God’s eyes,
no matter how you may try to justify or spin it. There is NO circumstance
that makes adultery acceptable. Second, anyone who has been involved in this
type of behavior knows deep down inside the incredible price you end up
paying, for what boils down to a few moments of pleasure. Like all sin, you
pay a very high price for what you end up receiving.

Having dealt with this issue in literally thousands of cases over the years,
I can assure you that there is NEVER a positive ending. These relationships,
due to the foundation on which they are built, never last long, and if they
do, are never filled with the joy and peace life has to offer. Remember, God
cannot and will not bless sin. So you go off into this new relationship on a
foundation of sin and deceit, without the blessings of God. How can you ever
expect it to work?!

So what is the answer? Simple. Repent, get right with God, and then begin
the long, long process of getting back into a correct relationship with your
spouse. This will take lots of time, lots of effort, and things will never
be 100% the way they were before. However, God can heal and help you and
your spouse find His peace and love again to live many happy years together.
It is not hopeless.

But you have to be willing to repent, get right with God, and then take the
steps necessary to get right with your spouse. God is able to do all things,
and you will need His help and strength each step of the way, but He will
honor your commitment. Don’t give up, that is what the enemy wants you to
do.

For the spouse that has been cheated on, it becomes a time for you to find a
level of faith and trust in God you never experienced before. Because of the
deep hurt and wounds, God is your only source of strength during this time.
While the Bible in the New Testament does give a scriptural “out” in a
marriage when adultery is involved, the reading of the complete Word still
proclaims it is God’s plan for one man, one woman, one lifetime. That must
be your goal.

You will need to spend much time in prayer for your spouse. They need your
prayers to overcome the wrongs they have done. You will need to spend much
time in prayer with the Lord to keep in focus that you are loved. Many
spouses who have been cheated on feel that they are to blame. Listen. You
CANNOT control the actions of your spouse. You CANNOT be responsible for
what they do. Quit blaming yourself for their actions! Know that in Christ
you are loved and worthy.

Lastly, you will need LOTS of prayer to have a forgiving heart. This, of
course, is the most difficult hurdle to overcome. It is not possible in our
strength. Only God can give you a forgiving heart to go on. Ultimately, the
key will be in your focus on the Lord. Your faith, your trust in the Lord
will be tested and stretched. It is in times like this when your faith
becomes very real.

There is absolutely no way in just a few paragraphs I can deal with an issue
like this that can fill a library full of books. I have tried to give you
the bottom line from both sides of this issue. It will all boil down to each
spouse’s commitment to the Lord to overcome this part of your life. The
cheating individual will need the Lord to overcome the sin committed and get
back into a right relationship with the spouse, and the spouse will need the
Lord to overcome the intense emotions and feelings to allow the spouse back
into a place of trust in the relationship.

There is no way things can ever be the same again; however, the Lord is
still in the healing business, and He can help work things out so there is
still a loving, fruitful relationship for many years to come. The key is
trusting God and not giving up.

I love you, and I care about you deeply. I realize from all of the emails we
get each day how prevalent this issue is. I will be praying for you today,
both those who have committed adultery and those spouses who have been
cheated on. I realize the heartache and pain you are going through. If I can
help in any way, don’t hesitate to email me; I will do my best. I cannot do
marriage counseling over email, but I can pray and give some basic
direction.

My main point today is that God is still on the throne, He is still in
control, and despite our rebellion…..He will have the final word. Jesus
said, “be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.” That includes the
sins in this world like adultery.

***ARE YOU 100% CERTAIN WHERE YOU WILL SPEND ETERNITY? The fact is you will die one day. At that moment, you will either spend eternity with the Lord or
be cast into everlasting darkness forever separated from God your creator.
To know for certain you will be forever with Jesus, go to:http://www.liveprayer.com/bdy_salvatn.cfm

***I am excited to let you know that the Liveprayer Daily Devotional is now
available via AUDIO each day. Simply go to http://www.liveprayer.com/Audio.cfm
Also, you can now listen to the Daily Devotional by phone by calling 1-727-342-5673

See link here. An 80-year-old leader of a DeKalb County megachurch who is at the center of a sex scandal has been charged with lying under oath for saying he had sex outside marriage with only one other woman, court documents show. A warrant for the arrest of Archbishop Earl Paulk, co-founder of Cathedral of the Holy Spirit at Chapel Hill Harvester Church in Decatur, was issued Monday, according to court documents. Paulk was making arrangements Monday night to turn himself in, WAGA-TV reported. His attorneys did not immediately return calls from The Associated Press seeking comment. Former church employee Mona Brewer is suing Paulk, his brother and the church on allegations that Paulk manipulated her into an affair from 1989 to 2003 by telling her it was her only path to salvation. In a 2006 deposition stemming from the lawsuit, the archbishop said under oath that the only woman he had ever had sex with outside of his marriage was Brewer.

But the results of a court-ordered paternity test revealed in October that Paulk is the biological father of his brother’s son, D.E. Paulk, who is now head pastor at the church. As part of Brewer’s lawsuit, eight women have given sworn depositions that they were coerced into sexual relationships with Earl Paulk. A judge ordered the paternity test at the request of the Cobb County district attorney’s office and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. District Attorney Pat Head declined to comment when reached at his home Monday night. Paulk and his brother, Don, have been hit with lawsuits from former members alleging they were coerced into sexual affairs, but this is the first time criminal charges have been filed against the archbishop.

LONDON (AP) — Syphilis is back: The sexually transmitted disease long associated with 19th Century bohemian life is making an alarming resurgence in Europe.

“Syphilis used to be a very rare disease,” said Dr. Marita van de Laar, an expert in sexually transmitted diseases at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. “I’m not sure we can say that anymore.”

Most cases of syphilis are in men, and experts point to more risky sex among gay men as the chief cause for the resurgence. But more cases are being seen among heterosexuals, both men and women, too.

Syphilis was the sexual scourge of the 19th Century, and is believed to have killed artists like poet Charles Baudelaire, composer Robert Schumann, and painter Paul Gauguin. But the widespread use of penicillin in the 1950s all but wiped it out in the Western world.

In the last decade, however, syphilis has unexpectedly returned, driven by risky sexual behavior and outbreaks in major cities across Europe, including London, Amsterdam, Paris and Berlin.

_ In Britain, syphilis cases have leapt more than tenfold for men and women in the past decade to 3,702 in 2006, according to the Health Protection Agency. Among men in England, the syphilis rate jumped from one per 100,000 in 1997 to nine per 100,000 last year.

_ In Germany, the rate among men was fewer than two per 100,000 in 1991; by 2003, it was six per 100,000.

_ In France, there were 428 cases in 2003 — almost 16 times the number just three years earlier.

_ In the Netherlands, cases doubled from 2000 to 2004. In Amsterdam, up to 31 men per 100,000 were infected, while the rate was much lower in other regions.

Similar trends have been seen in the United States.

In 2000, syphilis infection rates were so low that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention embarked on a plan to eliminate the disease. But about 9,800 cases were reported in 2006.

In Europe, Van de Laar said syphilis’ reappearance was so surprising that many doctors initially had trouble diagnosing it.

Though these days it mainly affects urban gay men, experts worry that the disease could also rebound in the general population if stronger efforts to fight it are not taken soon.

In 2005, British authorities reported that syphilis was spreading across the entire country, and that more heterosexual men and women were being infected.

“These increases may lead to increases in diagnoses of congenital syphilis over the coming years,” said Kate Swan, a spokeswoman for the Health Protection Agency.

Pregnant women with syphilis can pass it on to their babies. Nearly half of all babies infected with syphilis while they are in the womb die shortly before or after birth.

Syphilis is a bacterial disease causing symptoms that include ulcers, sores and rashes. In extreme cases, it can result in dementia or fatally damage the heart, respiratory and central nervous systems. Syphilis is treatable with antibiotics if caught early.

Once there are more than just a few isolated cases, containing the disease is difficult.

Advances made in treating AIDS may have inadvertently boosted syphilis’ spread.

“The evidence points to an increase in unsafe sexual behavior since anti-retrovirals for AIDS came along in 1996,” said van de Laar.

After decades of being instructed to use condoms and to limit the number of sexual partners, some people are probably suffering from “safe sex fatigue,” van de Laar said. The Internet has also allowed people to find sexual partners more easily than before, and some experts link the rise of dating Web sites to the jump in syphilis cases.

For some men, the Internet connections can be especially dangerous.

“Networks of HIV-positive men to find other positive men have sprung up on the Internet,” said Jonathan Elford, an AIDS epidemiologist at London’s City University.

Some men who have the AIDS virus are seeking condom-free sex with other men who are also HIV-infected. However, they aren’t protected against syphilis and other sexually spread diseases. Among gay men who have syphilis in Britain, nearly half have HIV, Elford said.

Amid this resurgence, some officials are now attacking the epidemic online.

Every day, health workers at the Terrence Higgins Trust, Europe’s largest AIDS charity, log into chatrooms on a popular British gay dating Web site to spread safe sex messages and answer questions.

“We know that men are arranging hook-ups for sex online,” said Mark Thompson, the charity’s deputy head of health promotion. “So we decided to tap into cyberspace to try reaching them before unsafe sex might happen.”

How Could He Do Such a Thing?

Perhaps you are wondering, How do men or women get entrapped by something as vile and self-centered as pornography and masturbation or by any kind of sexual immorality, for that matter?How can a husband say he loves his wife and then engage in such raunchy behavior? Women who are faced with questions like these often feel deeply betrayed. As the impact of their husband’s sin presses on them, they usually vacillate between anger, insecurity, and sorrow. Trust is shattered, and fear quickly slides into its place. Because involvement with pornography isn’t usually understood or expected, women often struggle to grapple with the realities of such an enslaving habit. With good reason, it is a sin that causes a wife to feel strangely violated. Something or someone else has used what she believed was exclusively hers alone.

To a woman who is reeling in the aftershock of discovering her husband’s vice, it seems senseless and incredibly stupid for him to risk losing everything that is dear in order to gratify sexual urges that are so base. Yet responding with disgust and bewilderment is the way most of us respond when we hear about someone who is enslaved to some devastating sin. We are surprised because we do not fully comprehend the power of sin or believe every person is vulnerable to being controlled by it.

Women who are discouraged as they try to understand their husband’s slippery slide into moral failure should consider the sins they might be enslaved to—perhaps to sins that don’t have the same consequences or stigma that enslavement to pornography does. Is gossip a problem? Worry? Anger? Is there complete self-control with the things one buys? Is credit- card debt a battle? How about time management, time in prayer, and Bible study? Do you have any difficulties there? No matter who we are or how well we have managed to keep ourselves from the clutches of sin, we all still need to be exhorted to “lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us” (Heb. 12:1, KJV). Sin is incredibly deceptive, powerful, and tailor-made to easily exploit every person’s weakest link. One person’s besetting sin may not be another’s.

It’s easy to see sexual sins as heinous when they don’t tempt us. But what about our own besetting sins? Have we made up our mind to flee from them only to be entrapped when our pet passions got the best of us once again? Have we asked for forgiveness again and again and still failed? If we are not careful, we can become just like the Pharisee who self-righteously told the Lord (who let us know the Pharisee prayed with himself), “God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess” (Luke 18:11-12). Whenever we, like the publican, derive our sense of being right with God from what we do or do not do, we become puffed up with pride, critical of others, unmerciful, and unforgiving. We can forget that God’s grace is no more grace if we deserve His forgiveness and righteousness. If we come to God in our own merit, we will find not approval but rejection.

It isn’t uncommon for a woman betrayed by her husband’s immorality to become so prideful and self-righteous that she prays, but God refuses to listen. The Scriptures teach us that “God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble” (1 Pet. 5:5). At the same time, her husband, who sinned so grievously against her, might humbly acknowledge his sin and turn in repentance to God. He may discover that the Lord is ready to grant him full forgiveness and restoration of fellowship. What a strange twist—the betrayed wife behaves like the Pharisee while her husband acts like the publican, who ”standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13). The sinning husband can be forgiven and restored even while his wife, who was sinned against, can be estranged from God. What a sobering reminder that none of us deserves God’s mercy or forgiveness. None of us can be forgiven because we deserve to be. Humility elicits God’s compassion and grace, but pride elicits His opposition completely. “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 18:14). The truth is, all of us can be as enslaved to sin as the husband who is enslaved to pornography. And the path to victory for us is the same path of victory for him.

What We Need

In a nutshell, all sins that involve self-indulgence reflect the same spiritual lack of temperance or self-control. Scripture recognizes temperance as a byproduct or fruit of the Spirit, a characteristic of those who “walk in the Spirit.” One who exercises his own will and lives as he pleases is one who “walks after the flesh.” On the other hand, one who is able to restrain the sinful desires of his human nature and obediently chooses to do God’s will is one who “walks after the Spirit.” The Bible tells us in Galatians 5:16-17, “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust [sinful desires] of the flesh [human nature]. For the flesh lusteth [wars] against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” If the ability to do right and to resist wrong depends on one thing—walking in the Spirit—then learning what “walking in the Spirit” is should be of utmost importance to every believer. Of all the Christian men (including many pastors) who have been enslaved by sexual sin and of all the Christian women who have been enslaved by bitterness and slander, none can honestly dispute the practical truth of this passage of Scripture. Those who daily walk in the Spirit find all the strength and grace they need to withstand temptation and to do what is right. Those who do not walk in the Spirit do not. The flesh can never be trusted. The Lord Jesus Christ can.

To “walk” refers to how we live and conduct our life. To “walk in the Spirit” is to depend upon and walk with the Lord in the same way God commanded Israel to walk with Him. “And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul” (Deut. 10:12). The blessings and benefits to those who choose to learn and do God’s commandments are spelled out throughout both the Old and New Testament. “Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein” (Hosea 14:9). David understood that the power and ability to walk with God begin first with a decision of the will but also depend on trusting in God’s enabling grace and strength to do so. God alone enables us to walk in His ways. “Teach me [dependence] thy way, O LORD; I will [the will exercised] walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name” (Ps. 86:11).

What both husband and wife need when faced with the aftermath of sexual sin is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, for He alone is the only means through which a husband will conquer his sexual sin or a wife will conquer the temptation to give up or become bitter. This is a time when both need to grasp the fact that one’s spouse never could and never will be able to provide the kind of emotional satisfaction and fulfillment that can come only from a wholehearted relationship with Christ. Even the best marriage relationship can be filled with disillusionment and disappointment if our first love is not our Savior with whom we are united forever.

What a miracle of God’s grace if your husband is experiencing true repentance and grappling with the realities of his sin. True repentance always brings true sorrow for sin. But whether your husband repents or not, you, the betrayed wife, desperately need to learn the practical lessons of walking with God, daily trusting Him, communing with Him, listening to Him, and depending on Him. He alone will never betray you, disappoint you, leave you, or cease loving you. At a time in your life when your hopes and dreams seem to be crumbling all around you, you have the privilege to flee to the Lord and to find in Him everything you need to face the challenges of each new day.

Many saints will testify that some of the sweetest times with the Lord are when we are experiencing the depths of anguish and despair. But God does not leave us in the valley of sorrows. He walks beside us in the valley and sustains us through the darkest night, and then He leads us ever upward to sunny pastures, where we will once again delight in all of God’s loving provision. David testified of this blessing when he said, “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD” (Ps. 27:13-14).

Look up, dear sister, and don’t look within. Don’t focus your thoughts on your husband—look up, for that is from where your help and deliverance will come! David learned this same lesson and confidently told us,

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore (Ps. 121:1-8).

Debi Pryde has taught ladies’ Bible classes and spoken at retreats and seminars for the past 30 years. A certified biblical counselor, she is particularly burdened for women and for the problems they face in today’s world. She has published a variety of Bible studies and books, including Secrets of a Happy Heart, Happily Married, and Precept Upon Precept. She and her husband, Tom, are active members at Lighthouse Baptist Church (La Verne, CA). You can read more about Debi, about her ministry, and about her rose garden by visiting her website.

You’ve made it through the initial discovery. You’ve made the decision to stay in your marriage and fight for it. You know life will never be the same again, but life does goes on. The routines of everyday living continue—work, school, grocery shopping, housework, cooking, answering the phone. You are going through the motions, and you are giving your best. But discouragement and sorrow might still be your constant companions. Perhaps you are looking back instead of looking forward, and you are still mourning over what you might still see as total loss.Remember, discouragement is always rooted in the way we think—the specific thoughts we center our attention on, the “what ifs” and “if onlys” that crowd out any hope or rays of light. Yes, you may know God’s promises, but they will bring no comfort if your heart refuses to be comforted. Your heart may continue to mourn as though sorrow will somehow soothe the deep wounds that are yet so tender and sore. Oh, dear sister, there is no comfort, no joy, no healing, and no hope in the deep abyss of morbid thoughts and fears.

Would you take a moment to read these gentle reminders that can lead you out of the valley and into the light of day? As we have often sung,

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

This truth doesn’t make sense to our human hearts, but the weapon that slays the enemy of discouragement is within our reach and within our power to pick up and use. We have the Holy Spirit Himself dwelling within us, and God wants us to be encouraged, comforted, and strengthened. The Bible assures us, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:3-5, KJV). Will you summon inner courage by praying right now and asking God to walk with us a moment and to strengthen you as we face some of those tormenting monsters together and conquer them with God’s sword?

Where in the World Did She Come from?

Many women have described their husband’s bondage to pornography as adultery with a woman they cannot speak to or confront; after all, she lives on the pages of a magazine or a website. She is a phantom who steals the attentions and affections of their husbands and entices them to follow her far away from real life at home in a real world. This perpetually naked woman, who is airbrushed to perfection, feels no concern for the home she destroys, for the hearts she breaks, or for the men she lures into her pernicious trap. She smiles provocatively and demands nothing—or so it seems to the men who are mesmerized by her. Little do they know that they are following this woman like a cow to the slaughterhouse (Prov. 7:22), where death and horror quietly await them.

This seemingly “harmless” fascination with a woman who never speaks or demands is, in reality, fascination with a woman who is leading a steady stream of men into a trap of the darkest and most sinister sort. While they are feasting on her delights, they are unaware that she is silently eroding their defenses and infiltrating every corner of their lives with only one intent—total destruction. A beautiful Trojan horse, she cares nothing for them and has no pity, though she destroys careers, marriages, homes, and—most precious of all—a man’s integrity, character, and relationship with God. Solomon warns about this woman. In Ecclesiastes 7:25, we read, “I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness: And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares [traps] and nets, and her hands as bands [prison]: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.”

Men who have been taken by the beauty of this licentious woman called “pornography” have far greater problems than a fascination with lewd photography. They have been hooked by the lure of illicit sexual arousal. Pornography has one goal—arousal and sexual release. Make no mistake about it—the pictures are the bait, not the hook. The hook that snares and entraps is the sexual high. It’s certainly enticing because it seems better than the euphoria of elicit drugs with none of the “side effects.” It’s perfectly legal, comes without exposure to sexually transmitted diseases, costs little, requires no self-sacrifice, and demands no emotional ties or investments of time. Apparently, no one is hurt, no one is physically violated, and no adultery is committed. The illusion is that this sexual high is the most perfect stress release and trouble-free recreation a man could engage in with so little cost and trouble. There’s only one problem—this sexual high completely ignores God.

Men entrapped by the ritualistic habits of masturbation (self-sex) live as though sexual gratification were a sport rather than a sacred gift from God reserved for the intimacies of marriage. Masturbation disregards the one-flesh relationship of marriage characterized by physical union and mutual enjoyment. It exchanges the long-lasting delights of true intimacy and love with one’s spouse for a self-centered shortcut to momentary gratification that incrementally destroys a man’s ability to enjoy sex with his wife and to interact with her. It utterly destroys the mysterious spiritual bond that is established between a man and a woman who have come together in sexual union, and it ultimately grieves the Holy Spirit and alienates a man from his God. In the end, masturbation reduces a sacred act to lurid debauchery and hardens a man’s heart until he no longer hears the cries of his own wife or children—let alone the still-small voice of the Holy Spirit. High on the throne of his heart is his own insatiable lust, which rules his life with an all-encompassing tyrannical control.

Lust does conquer and rule whoever lingers in its grasp. What may have begun with curiosity or an impulsive act during a time of stress quickly envelops and consumes a man until he no longer controls it—lust controls him. And sometimes lust goes beyond the pages of photographic images and morphs into a real woman who is willing to play the part and become a living fantasy. How in the world can this sin happen to a Christian man, and is there any hope for his rescue? Thankfully, God’s love, grace, and power can transform even men who have been corrupted by the utter blindness and deception of sexual vices. There is hope and more than that—hope for a better tomorrow.

“What?” Paul asks incredulously, “know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication [any sexual immorality]. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body” (1 Cor. 6:16-18). Adultery is much more than physical intercourse between two living, breathing people. To understand why adulterous behavior by a spouse wreaks such internal havoc, one must understand that it is more than a simple physical act. Adultery includes any act that robs a marriage of intimacy that rightfully belongs to one’s marriage partner alone. God designed marriage, which is the intertwining of two people’s lives both physically and emotionally, to produce an exclusive and delightful bond of companionship.

The sexual union is something God created for our enjoyment. Animals procreate to satisfy sexual urges, but people automatically engage their minds when they engage in sexual union. People are designed in such a way that they develop an emotional attachment to the object of their love and physical attachment. Emotional intimacy and physical intimacy cannot be separated—the two complement and feed each other. If someone sets his (or her) love on the delights of a harlot, he will become inextricably attached to the harlot. If one sets his love on the delights of his spouse, he will become attached to his spouse. If one sets his love on himself, he will become attached to his own self and be enveloped in self-gratification. When human beings violate the built-in plan God set in motion, they will always suffer excruciating consequences.

A satisfying marriage relationship in which both partners are emotionally attached to each other can be compared to a glass of water that is completely filled. There’s no room for more water from another source—the glass is full. But when one or both partners begin investing their emotional and physical efforts in a third object of sexual attraction, the full glass of water begins slowly draining into another glass. Eventually, the once-full glass becomes a partially full glass of water and ultimately nothing more than a dry glass with nothing in it. Men and women in such a marriage sense that something is wrong with their marriage relationship. It is no longer satisfying or warm. They often wrongly conclude that they no longer love their spouse, or they believe all hope for the marriage is gone. What they do not recognize is that they themselves have stopped refilling the glass. They have poured themselves into another glass until their marriage glass has become empty. When both partners begin pouring themselves into each other and begin investing their attention and nurture into their own relationship, the “outside glass” becomes empty, and the marriage is once again full and satisfied.

With this illustration fresh in your mind, go back to the beginning of this article and reread the description of a man entrapped in pornography. Then be sure to read Part Two on Monday.

Debi Pryde has taught ladies’ Bible classes and spoken at retreats and seminars for the past 30 years. A certified biblical counselor, she is particularly burdened for women and for the problems they face in today’s world. She has published a variety of Bible studies and books, including Secrets of a Happy Heart, Happily Married, and Precept Upon Precept. She and her husband, Tom, are active members at Lighthouse Baptist Church (La Verne, CA). You can read more about Debi, about her ministry, and about her rose garden by visiting her website.

Kerby Anderson of Probe Ministries has done extensive research on the subject of adultery in the United States. In an article entitled, The Allure of Cyber-Relationships (online affairs), he comes to this conclusion:

…adultery is becoming more common, and researchers are finding that women are as likely as men to have an affair. A 1983 study found that 29 percent of married people under 25 had had an affair with no statistical difference between the number of men and women who chose to be unfaithful to their spouses early in life. By comparison, only 9 percent of spouses in the 1950s under the age of 25 had been involved in extramarital sex. Another study concluded that by age 40 about 50 to 65 percent of husbands and 45 to 55 percent of wives become involved in an extramarital affair.[1]

How can Christians guard themselves from the destruction of adultery? Proverbs 2:16-19 provides some help. In four short verses, we are warned against two characteristics of adulteresses (what Solomon called strange women) and two tragic consequences of adultery.

Proverbs 2:16-19 To deliver you from the strange woman, from the adulteress who flatters with her words; that leaves the companion of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God; for her house sinks down to death, and her tracks lead to the dead; none who go to her return again, nor do they reach the paths of life.

I.Characteristics of an adulteress (vv. 16-17)

A.She flatters with her speech

The strange woman uses ego-feeding words to trap her prey. “For the lips of an adulteress drip honey, and smoother than oil is her speech” (5:3). However, God’s commands will “keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of a seductress” (6:24; Cf. 2:16; 7:2). Beware of her smooth words for, “With her many persuasions she entices him; with her flattering lips she seduces him” (7:21). The end is certain: “The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; he who is cursed of the LORD will fall into it” (Prov. 22:14).

B.She forsakes her marriage covenant

The adulteress breaks her covenant with her husband, the “companion of her youth.” But, in doing so, she also breaks the covenant that she made with God. Solomon instructed his married sons, “Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth” (Proverbs 5:18). But, you say, how can Solomon say that? He had 700 wives! Yes, you are right (1 Kings 11:3), but near the end of his life he saw the folly of his ways. He wrote in Ecclesiastes, “And I discovered more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are chains. One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the sinner will be captured by her” (Eccl. 7:26). The covenant of marriage is sacred and, therefore, must be guarded with godly jealousy. “For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24).

II.Consequences of adultery (vv. 18-19)

Charles Bridge calls this strange woman, “The slave of unlawful desire; having no guide but her own will; no pleasure but sensual gratification; quickly she becomes her own and her victim’s murderer. Her house is the land of death…Eternal death is her doom.”[2] Simply stated, adultery brings destruction. The text reveals two ways destruction comes.

A.Her life and family are brought to destruction (v. 18a)

“For her house sinks down to death” means that her own life and the lives of all those in her house will suffer the tragic consequences of her sin. No man, or woman, is an island. Our sin always affects others to one degree or another.

B.Her victims’ lives and families are destroyed (v. 18b-19)

Not only will her own “house” be destroyed, but “her tracks lead to the dead.” The Hebrew words emphasize physical destruction and death, which indicate that it is correct to conclude that sin is the origin of sexually transmitted diseases, which flourish in the immoral and, in many cases, lead to premature death. “None…return again…nor do they reach the paths of life.” Proverbs 6:32 says the one who commits adultery “is lacking sense; He who would destroy himself does it.” Proverbs 7 describes this blind stupidity in picturesque words: “Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks, till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird hastens to the snare, he did not know it would cost his life. Now therefore, listen to me, my children; pay attention to the words of my mouth: Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, do not stray into her paths; for she has cast down many wounded, and all who were slain by her were strong men. Her house is the way to hell, descending to the chambers of death” (7:22-25, 27).

The most obvious biblical illustration of the destructive power of adultery is King David. Nathan the prophet pointed out David’s sin by telling a parable (2 Samuel 12:1-14). David then passed judgment on himself. At least four consequences of his sin were named.

David’s family would be filled with violence (“the sword shall never depart from your house.”)

David’s wives would be taken and defiled in public (Absalom fulfilled this)

David’s sin would be publicly exposed (what he did in secret is now known by all)

David’s son would die (“the child also that is born to you shall surely die.”)

Now more than ever we need godly wisdom to protect us from the destruction of adultery. Here are three practical ways to protect your marriage and family.

Nurture and delight in your love relationship.

“Drink water from your own cistern, and fresh water from your own well. Should your springs be dispersed abroad, streams of water in the streets? Let them be yours alone, and not for strangers with you.Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth. As a loving hind and a graceful doe, let her breasts satisfy you at all times; be exhilarated always with her love. For why should you, my son, be exhilarated with an adulteress, and embrace the bosom of a foreigner? For the ways of a man are before the eyes of the LORD, and He watches all his paths. His own iniquities will capture the wicked, and he will be held with the cords of his sin. He will die for lack of instruction, and in the greatness of his folly he will go astray” (Proverbs 5: 15-23).

Commenting on this passage, Melvin Efaw, my wife’s childhood pastor (who recently went home to the Lord), wrote over twenty years ago:

There is nothing more beautiful than the exchange of marriage vows by a fine Christian man and woman. Friends look on and heaven listens in. In God’s sight they are holy and binding vows. They are not to be treated lightly. They are made to be kept. Yet today many young people plunge into marriage thinking that if it does not work out they can end the relationship and try again and again. God says that men and women have the right to enjoy only lawful pleasures. In Eastern countries the two sources of water supply were the well and the cistern of rainwater. Each house had its own well and its own cistern.

So each man is to have his own wife and each woman is to have her own husband. They are to enjoy one another only. They are to be true to each other.Some sexologists say that a marriage that is becoming dull can be helped by ‘healthy adultery.’ God says there is no such thing. He teaches that marriages are happier when one man and one woman are faithful to each other, and that in the final analysis sin against His laws can only bring misery and judgment.[3]

Flee lust.

“Do not lust after her beauty” (6:25a; NKJ).

“Everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart” (Matt. 5:27-28).

Avoid spending time alone with the opposite sex.

“Now then, my sons, listen to me, and do not depart from the words of my mouth.Keep your way far from her [the adulteress], and do not go near the door of her house” (5:7-8).

But what do you do if you find yourself inadvertently trapped? Learn from Joseph. When he found himself alone in a room with a powerful seductress who sought to overwhelm her prey, “he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside” (Genesis 39:12). Men, there is only one logical way to respond to the subtle, or not so subtle, advances of an adulteress: run for your life! “Flee immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18).

Let us guard our marriages as if our very lives and families depended on it. Because they do!